Taken advantage of the sun to get a couple of snaps of my recently completed Farish 24 and short pick up goods - soon to be seen pottering around my new shunting layout!
A bit of era hopping tonight. Perhaps it's the prospect of a new 40 coming out, perhaps the wonderfully atmospheric www.2d53.co.uk website or maybe I just never forgave myself for selling my first 24. Whatever it is, I find myself getting a late 70s BR blue collection together again...I certainly enjoyed slapping some paint and powders around tonight!
A bit of an update!
I've recently got hold of an N gauge society Inspection Saloon in EWS livery. After a few nights work I think it's ready for service - pictured here with 37174, which has also had snowploughs fitted. This helps hide the NEM coupling boxes, I think!
I've also been working on my DRS fleet and here's the line up. 57011 still needs a decoder hardwiring in which is a job to be tackled when the mood hits! The very nice cast MU sockets were supplied by West Coast Respra
Dapol Class 58 in Mainline triple grey livery - N gauge. Weathered using enamel washes made with Humbrol paints, a coat of dullcote from a rattle can and powdered from Humbrol and Forge World. A few details to touch in but pretty much there now!
I've recently been lucky enough to get hold of a Farish 37 in EWS livery, so it's been through the shops to get lowered to reduce the gap between body and bogies and to get a dose of weathering. Usual mix of enamel washes and powders and a spray of dullcote. Still some details to still pick out, but I'm pleased with how it's come out - it's already become one of my favourite locos!
My most recent completed model is this Farish Class 08 in EWS livery. No doubt about to begin a hard life shuffling JNAs up and down my test track until I move house again in the new year...and actually build the layout I've been threatening!
I've started taking on select comissions after some serious interest in my work in N gauge - you can find out more here, along with more example sof my work - stevejonesweathering.wordpress.com
I've been busy tonight with the paints and powders! 2 new locos delivered today. The Farish DRS 37 has been lowered on its bogies a touch - I'm chuffed to have finally tracked one down in DRS livery. The EWS 66 a standard Dapol model - 66181, the kind of anonymous loco you see all over the country. I'm please with both, I gave them both a gloss coat before getting busy with enamel washes which really helped the washes flow. A squirt of Dullcote toned down the finish before I added powders from H
More modern images stuff now - the Arriva Trains Wales Premier Service is coming along nicely...
I managed to get the DVT finished at the weekend so here's a line up of my Dapol 67s alongside it. I'm pretty pleased with how these have come together - I've used the usual combination enamels washes, a few passes of Citadel's purity seal varnish (available from Games Workshops) and a dash of powders. I've started work on the coaching stock now - I've one more mark 3 to arrive and complete the r
I lucky enough to track down an Arriva Class 67 book set with coaches and DVT this week - I regretted not getting hold of one when they came out so was thankful to pick it up for not a lot more than the RRP of a single Class 67. It's kind of the few loco hauled passenger trains we see in Herefordshire now so I'm glad to have a miniature replica!
It's been hit with the weathering stick, same format as usual - some grimey washes of Humbrol enamel, a quick spray with Citade 'purity seal' varnis
Long time without a post! I've been fiddling around with odd bits but most of my time has been taken up with moving house recently. Anyway, now we are settled, I've negotiated space for a layout - hurrah! My latest bit of work is this N gauge society inspection saloon - given a tonight down with some oil washes and powders, but nothing too dramatic as I would think these were kept relatively clean, especially the coach sides. I must paint the wheel sides tonight!
Continuing on a modern theme...
These 3 JNA Falcon infrastructure wagons are from Dapol, picked up last week to go with my EWS 66. Weathered as usual using oil paint washes and powders. Burnt umber was liberally applied inside the wagons, and left to try for a bit - then dragged around with a large flat brush dampened with a touch of thinners to give a streaky rusted effect. I then added Mig 'light dust' powder inside. I was going to add a load, but I'm not so sure whether I will or not now.
Hmmmm. Sticking to BR blue didn't last long. Anyway...
I sold my modern image stock a while back, with the intention of restricting my modelling to the late 70s / early 80s. However, like many of us, my interests flip from one thing to another and I started to regret letting go of my 2 EWS 66s, especially as they are so ubiquitous on the modern network. I also have a feeling the supply in this livery will dry up as DB starts to restrict models released to those in it's own corporate identity
Happy new year everybody!
Here's something a little more up-to-date! I've been trying very hard to keep everything BR blue, stick to the period, keep focussed...but I've wanted one of these for a while. Memories of riding them around the Valleys whilst at uni in South Wales, maybe. I placed an ad on one of the N gauge Facebook groups to see if anyone happened to have one they were looking to move on...and low and behold, it was in my hands the next day
Now it wouldn't be fun if I c
Here's the latest models from the workbench - actually a commission I got just before Christmas These seacows have been weathered and had loads added. I used a scrap of sponge to add some subtle paint chipping to the hoppers' sides and on the handrails in places, which is a technique pinched from armour modelling.
They will shortly be returning to their owner - I hope they are pleased with them!
Here's the latest addition to the fleet - a Farish 25/2. I've been looking for an unweathered blue one for a while and spotted this in my local model shop on Wednesday...a Christmas present to myself!
A little more work than the usual weathering job, as I decided I couldn't live with the very prominent handrails on the cab fronts. Theses were carefully pulled out, trimmed and reshaped to fit, which also required the holes to be opened out a smidge. I also stripped the thick paint and repaint
Today I populated my Dapol Pannier with one of ModelU's amazing new figure range. The 3d print is supplied in red plastic and was painted using Citadel Acrylics over a grey undercoat. The detail is quite incredible for someone just under 1cm in height!
I thought it might be useful to put up a step-by-step of how I weather my next loco - so here it is, complete with cruel close ups! Starting with a fresh Farish class 20, with bufferbeam detailing added on one end, coupling pocket removed from the bogie, DCC fitted and run in.
Here's what you need for the first stage. Some black and burnt umber oil paints (I bought a pack in the works for a couple of quid years ago), some thinners, a pallet (old jam jar lid) and a cradle for your loco -
It's time I turned my attention to some rolling stock that isn't 16 ton mineral wagons. I started to think what else would look good hung behind a grubby blue diesel, give me a bit of variety yet not have a long fixed formation? A bit of searching helped me decide a mail rake would be useful - I could expand it later with some weird and wonderful additions, but for now enjoy weathering some of Farish's excellent coaching stock and still run it in a realistically short rake.
I ordered a
This is what has rolled off the workbench this week...
I have been keeping my eyes peeled for a Farish plain BR blue 47 for a while; whilst selling on some other stock I got the chance to grab 47403 ' The Geordie' as part of a trade. 47403 was named in 1982, slightly after my rough time period for my blue stock so out came the T-cut! Very gentle rubbing removed the nameplates and also the logos above the numbers. My model didn't come with the detail pack, so I raided the spares box for a rep
A bit more N gauge weathering completed last weekend; my Dapol 67 was given a wash of grime and the detail parts added on one end. It's a lovely model of a pretty weird looking prototype (to my eyes anyway!), although when you see it next to its 66 cousin it lacks the crispness of a Farish moulding. My Dapol success rate is currently at 50%; this one runs beautifully smoothly and I had no problem fitting a chip like I did on my 22 (which has now moved to pastures new before it ended up against a
Everything I've posted recently has been pretty modern; here's my late 1970s Farish 24 posed with a few 16 tonners. These are a mix of pre-weathered and pristine, given the same weathering treatment of enamel washes, purity seal varnish, powders and real coal dust scraped into the inside of the wagons.
The board is a test plank using finetrax code 40 rail that's had a few scenic experiments done on it; not the neatest but looks ok!
Here's the latest from the workbench - a Farish 66 in EWS livery. Previously airbrushed weathered by its former owner, I worked the grime back and added some enamel washes before giving it a coat of purity seal and attacking with the powders. I've also wired a DCC decoder in - not too difficult a job, but a 6 pin socket us so much easier!
I've not posted anything for a while! I've been flitting between 00 and N a lot recently but currently my mojo is firmly stuck in the smaller world. I've been having a critical edit of my collection, selling off non-DCC locos for replacement with easy to chip locomotives and being more selective in my rolling stock collection. There will be a BR blue layout in the future and most of my stock now reflects this, however...
It's meant I have picked up a treat or two with the proceeds - includin
Another n gauge wagon weathered - this is a Farish BYA. I'm currently enjoying running my n gauge round a big circle of n gauge kato unitrack when I get chance. In my head I keep planning the layout...when I have more room! I have a DBS 66 from Dapol en route so I think a few more of these are needed.
Strangely I have been considering how in some ways to get the best out of n gauge you actually need more space than OO, to justify the full length trains the scale does so well. Still, I keep h
Some N gauge weathering completed this week - a Dapol ferrywagon picked up from their factory shop on the way home from North Wales on Tuesday, and a Plasmor Oba that was £6 from Hattons when I ordered myself a circle of Kato untrack for testing/running in. I bought it because I like the livery!
Weathered using black and burnt umber oil paints and Humbrol dark earth weathering powder. Very pleased with these!
